Mikel Arteta took advantage of a loophole in UEFA to include Gabriel Jesus in his Champions League squad in place of young talent Max Daumann. The 28-year-old Brazilian striker has returned to full training after a long period of absence due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Jesus was injured earlier this year when Arsenal lost to Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup.
Since then, he has continued his intensive rehabilitation at Sober Realty Training Center and was included in the matchday squads against Chelsea and Brentford. Arteta has previously praised Jesus’ development, saying: “He’s been giving his all for the team at the moment for almost two weeks now. “We’ll also give him some internal exposure in a few games and get that fitness up. But he’s looked really good in training and he’ll be a big addition to the team.”
Dauman, on the other hand, has had limited opportunities to shine for Arsenal this season. The 15-year-old midfielder made several appearances early on, becoming the second-youngest player in the history of both Arsenal and the Premier League.
He came off the bench briefly during the 1-0 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield, but has not featured in the top flight since. Dauman was recently injured while playing with the U-21 team.
Ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with Club Brugge, Arsenal confirmed in a statement that Jesus was included in the squad. “Gabriel Jesus has joined the UEFA A-list with immediate effect, replacing Max Dorman,” the statement read.
“Gaby will therefore be eligible to play in Wednesday night’s match against Club Brugge in Belgium. Max, who injured his ankle while playing for the Under-21s on Saturday, will be added to UEFA’s B list in January but will not be allowed to play in any UEFA competition for 60 days from today (6 February).”
Jesus was told on Monday that he would not be included in the squad. However, after receiving further information about Dauman’s injury situation, the club reversed its decision and included the Brazilian in the squad.
Dauman will receive a 60-day ban from UEFA competitions, but this does not automatically mean his injury will keep him out for the same period; rather, Arsenal have decided that the setback is serious enough to warrant Jesus’ registration.
The Gunners lead the Champions League standings with a perfect record of five wins out of five games. Their next test will be against the Belgian national team, who parted ways with their coach just before Tuesday’s game.
Arsenal’s Champions League full squad
Goalkeepers: David Raya, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Tommy Thetford.
Defenders: William Saliba, Cristian Mosquera, Ben White, Piero Hincapie, Gabriel, Julian Timber, Riccardo Calafioli.
Midfielders: Martin Odegaard, Ebelesi Eze, Christian Norgaard, Leandro Trossard, Noni Maduke, Mikel Merino, Kai Havertz, Martin Zvimendi, Declan Rice, Max Dauman.
Forwards: Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Victor Gokeres.
